Enter Alpine: People-oriented, building a green and sustainable future
2024-08-18 / tech
On the morning of June 28, 2024, the e-works 8th Japanese Lean Manufacturing Study Tour visited the Alps Alpine Group, touring the R&D center building and the second factory located in Furukawa City. They gained an in-depth understanding of the company's philosophy of "creating new value welcomed by both humans and the Earth," as well as its practices in pursuing a people-oriented approach, lean automation production, and green sustainable development.
Pursuing the Summit of Dreams
A Journey of Struggle Spanning Over Seventy Years
Alps Alpine Co., Ltd. (ALPSALPINE) is a globally leading group in the research, development, production, and marketing of electronic components and audio products, formed by the integration of Alps Electric Co., Ltd. and Alpine Co., Ltd. in 2019. As an electronic parts and automotive electronics enterprise with a long history and profound heritage, the history of Alps Alpine can be traced back to 1948 when it was known as Kataoka Electric Co., Ltd., initially focusing on the production of radio knob switches and variable capacitors. The company's first product symbolized the highest peak in the world, and with this vision, the brand was named "Alps," which represents the highest peak.
Advertisement
In the 1950s, with the popularization of television, radio, and entertainment, Alps Alpine began to produce television tuners and was the first manufacturer of television tuners in Japan. In the 1960s, with the advent of the private car boom, the company began to transform into a manufacturer of automotive equipment and changed its name to "Alps Electric," which is the same as the brand name. It also established a joint venture with Motorola of the United States, named Alps-Motorola Co., Ltd. (later Alpine Co., Ltd.), to further expand its business in the automotive electronics field.In the 1970s, as Japan entered a new era centered on energy saving and labor saving, Alps Alpine expanded its business map into the field of office automation, beginning to produce computer keyboards, switches, magnetic heads, printers, etc. They developed the world's first ultra-compact micro printer and continued to develop in-vehicle audio equipment.
After the 1980s, the company kept pace with the digital wave, developing products such as car navigation systems, magnetoresistive magnetic heads, and optical communication, and enriching the product line related to personal computers, actively exploring peripheral devices and software for smartphones. During this period, based on continuous innovation, they participated in the development of the world's first electronic gyroscope positioning device with Honda, launched the world's first cassette tape changer, the world's first AV shuttle, the world's first 3D shuttle, and the world's first iPod dedicated head unit, etc.
Alps Alpine Product & Technology Evolution
In 2019, adhering to the corporate philosophy of "creating new value welcomed by both humans and the Earth," Alps Electric and Alpine achieved business integration, officially forming "Alps Alpine Co., Ltd." This strategic move aims to provide a full range of solutions from electronic components to system integration for the global market, led by the automotive industry, by integrating the strengths of both parties, that is, by combining Alps' deep cultivation of core components and product strength of the "vertical I-type" with Alpine's "horizontal I-type" that forms systems from various components and technologies, to build an "Innovative T-shaped Company."
Alps Alpine "T-shaped" Corporate Model
Today, Alps Alpine has developed into a global enterprise, with products involving "components," "sensors and communication," and "modules and systems" in three major business areas, covering fields such as automotive, home appliances, mobile travel, and gaming, and actively expanding into cutting-edge fields such as industrial machinery and IoT. At the same time, it has built a vast business network, with 186 branches in 23 countries and regions worldwide, carrying out R&D, production, and sales operations. As of the end of March 2024, Alps Alpine has 28,693 employees worldwide, with sales reaching 964 billion yen, of which overseas sales account for 89.2%.
Alps Alpine Product Matrix
In China, Alps Alpine has established several branches and R&D centers, including branches in Beijing, Dalian, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and other cities, and R&D centers in Dalian, Wuxi, and other places. In addition, its subsidiary Alps System Integration Co., Ltd. has also established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Alps System Integration (Dalian) Co., Ltd., in Dalian.Alps Alpine's Three Major Business Orientations and Sales
People-Centric Approach
Maximizing Innovative Potential
"Alps Alpine" and "respect for individuality" are the core business philosophies of Alps Alpine. They firmly believe that transcending the boundaries of gender, age, and nationality, and fully leveraging the diverse capabilities, personalities, and values of each employee, is the foundation for sustainable development activities and the ultimate goal of achieving diversity and inclusion (D&I). Towards this goal, not only can the infinite creativity and vitality of employees be stimulated, but it can also propel the company to move forward and make greater leaps. Therefore, Alps Alpine is committed to creating a workplace environment that respects each other, encourages the expression of individuality, utilizes the talents of each person, and is full of vitality.
This philosophy is vividly illustrated in the new R&D building in Furukawa, which was completed in 2023. When the inspection team entered the R&D building, the comfortable, open, and relaxed office environment immediately attracted everyone. The Alps Alpine R&D building adopts a flexible, open office layout: each employee does not have a fixed workstation and can freely choose the working area according to personal preferences and work needs; it is equipped with a variety of small group work spaces, suitable for both focused work and online meetings, and also has an open Waigaya (free speech) area to encourage free communication among employees; there is a library reading room where employees can access and learn the required materials at any time; green plants and rest areas are everywhere, and there is a high-quality dining environment, stimulating the innovative inspiration of R&D personnel.
Alps Alpine Furukawa New R&D BuildingAccording to staff members, the R&D building was reconstructed in 2022. From the very beginning of planning, Alps Alpine has regarded maximizing innovation as an essential element for the development of new products and technologies, proposing the concept of "integrating and triggering the core of global knowledge and technological innovation in the lush ancient river area." Based on the collection of employees' construction suggestions, the focus was on adopting environmental designs and state-of-the-art equipment that facilitate engineers' work and stimulate their communication with global bases or external talents, to promote engineers' innovation and enhance inter-organizational synergy. This advanced office model fully embodies the concept of "people-oriented, promoting collaboration, and stimulating innovation," which is beneficial for the physical and mental health of employees, improving job satisfaction, and accelerating the development of new products and technologies. Members have expressed that it is worth learning and drawing lessons from.
In addition, the second factory in Furukawa also provides employees with a comfortable and work-friendly environment, including office areas with views of the Oosaki plain, an open employee cafeteria facing the factory courtyard, and a lounge that materializes the rich natural environment of Oosaki City.
Looking towards the next 50 years
Building a sustainable advanced factory
The second factory in Furukawa is the latest factory of Alps Alpine in Japan, completed in 2018. As the global mother factory, the second factory in Furukawa mainly produces automotive and mobile phone electronic components, and it was designed and built with the concept of "looking towards the next 50 years of sustainable advanced factories." It achieves efficient, high-quality production by integrating automation technology, IoT and AI-driven production management systems, and lean production concepts, and actively introduces energy-saving and environmentally friendly, as well as people-oriented advanced equipment, to build a sustainable development ecosystem that progresses hand in hand with all stakeholders.Under the guidance of the staff, the delegation visited the vehicle mold assembly, painting, and assembly workshops of the second factory of Furukawa, experiencing the integration of automation, digitalization, and lean manufacturing practices. In the molding workshop, 32 single-color molding machines and 8 two-color molding machines jointly form the key part of the entire production process. They automatically and accurately process the resin material into the predetermined product shape, with the specific process including: feeding the resin material into the molding machine, melting it at a high temperature of over 200 degrees Celsius, and then injecting it under high pressure into the mold to form the required product shape. In the painting workshop, after the robots automatically remove the molded materials and dust them off, they are transferred to the painting room for automated flat blowing/rotation. After the painting is completed, an automatic portrait is used for appearance inspection to exclude surface defects. After passing the inspection, pattern printing and laser marking are carried out.
Furukawa's second factory's vehicle module manufacturing process is different from the automation process of the molding and painting workshops, as the assembly workshop adopts a combination of human and machine. The workshop is equipped with 32 production lines, including collaborative robot lines independently developed, six-axis robot production lines, and XY-axis coordinate robot lines, achieving efficient and flexible production through human-robot collaboration.
Furukawa's second factory also utilizes Internet of Things (IoT) technology to collect data on production line efficiency, defect rates, and attendance rates. Through its independently developed Andon system, it displays the production line status and progress in real-time, making the production situation clear at a glance. In case of any abnormalities, it immediately triggers an alarm and automatically pushes it to the relevant personnel. Based on data analysis, it optimizes costs and improves product quality, sharing this information with the management and global branches to strive for global quality uniformity. In addition, in some production areas, the factory has deployed its own IoT smart modules and current sensors to monitor the internal temperature distribution and electricity usage, ensuring the stability of the production environment.
It is worth mentioning that Furukawa's second factory places special emphasis on the application of visual management, using simple but effective error-proofing methods to effectively avoid operational errors and confusion, such as identity recognition based on the color of hats and work badge tags.
Practicing green sustainable developmentIn the context of the increasingly severe global environmental issues, Alps Alpine has proposed to promote activities that care for the Earth's environment from three aspects: "decarbonization," "resource recycling," and "coexistence with nature." Specific measures include: promoting energy saving and the introduction of renewable energy, and encouraging the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout the company and the entire supply chain; considering the reduction of environmental burdens generated by corporate activities and the improvement of sustainability as important issues, and carrying out continuous improvement; providing environmentally friendly products and services, supporting nature conservation activities, and cooperating with local communities to strive for harmonious coexistence with the natural environment.
For example, the second factory in Furukawa has adopted renewable energy technologies such as solar power generation (maximum power/approximately 1,000kW), geothermal air conditioning systems, and the reuse of waste heat and rainwater, actively promoting energy conservation. The factory has also introduced a "stratified air conditioning system" that controls temperature only in the space below 2 meters above the ground. Compared to the old Furukawa factory, the new factory has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 50%.
Energy-saving measures at Furukawa's second factory
The new R&D building in Furukawa also focuses on energy conservation and environmental protection. By optimizing air conditioning load and fresh air intake, lighting settings, and introducing equipment that utilizes renewable energy, it has achieved a 77% energy saving and obtained the "Nearly Zero Energy Building (Nearly ZEB)" certification under the Building Energy Saving Performance Labeling System (BELS).
PostscriptDuring this inspection process, the team members deeply felt that the corporate philosophy of "creating new value that is welcomed by both humans and the Earth" has taken root in the daily operations of Alps Alpine. Whether it is their commitment to innovation-driven development, providing products and services that exceed customer expectations; or adhering to people-oriented and personality-respecting management, building an open and comfortable working environment, and improving employee efficiency through human-machine collaboration and error-proofing methods; or actively engaging in the practice of green sustainable development... all are true implementations of Alps Alpine's commitment to "creating new value" and a reflection of its continuous pursuit of the vision of "Perfecting the Art of Electronics," leaving a profound impression on the inspection team members.
Group photo of the inspection team.
Comment